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You've got a crap tape drive. Does your internet connection do 30MBytes/s? You're also allowed to have more than one tape drive :-). You're also supposed to put more than 1 tape in the car.

Let's assume LTO (Ultrium 2) tape at 30MB/s, 200GB/tape (uncompressed - let's compare apples to apples). We'll use a Chevy Suburban with 3919 liters of interior space, assume 3 tapes to the liter, so about 10,000 tapes, with room for fudge and packing material.

That's 2000 TB or 2 Petabytes in one vehicle.

Since we've bought 10,000 tapes (those things ain't cheap) we may as well have 100 tape drives to read them and write them (200 total, 100 on each end).

At 30MB/s it takes about 2 hours to read or write each tape, so 4 hours per tape or 40,000 drive hours total, or 400 hours total to read/write the tapes. Assuming we stop to go to the bathroom and eat occasionally but no stops for sleeping (2 drivers) we'll average 50 miles/h or 100 hours. (You may drive faster than this but it make my math easy)

Total time=500 hours for 2000TB or about 1.1 GB/s. If we assume only 1 tape drive on each end, it's still 13MB/s. Yah, still not to be underestimated :-). As you can see, the speed of the vehicle and the distance has very little impact when you're moving such a large amount of data.

I think density-wise tapes and disks (bare) are about the same today as a 250 GB IDE drive is about the same size as an LTO tape. Now, if you have your imaginary Beowulf cluster ready to hook all of your IDE drives up, imagine the bandwidth of that!

Actually, most *good* GPS navigation units will automatically recalculate the route to your destination if you go off-course. My laptop/software/GPS combo will do this, but only after you tell it to "Recalculate from here." The system in my cousin's '01 Acura did this without any prompting at all. Just drive away from the traffic jam and see where it tells you to go.

What I'm waiting for, though, is vehicle manufacturers to start making HUD's standard equipment, and to integrate the navigation system to it. The only car that I'm currently aware of that even offers a HUD as standard equipment is the Corvette. I do remember some Pontiacs that had them a few years back, too. I'm not familiar enough with the european models to know if that's the case on the other side of the proverbial pond, but I'm pretty sure that there isn't any european manufacturer exporting any models with a HUD to the USA. And I don't think there's any asian import that offers a HUD, either. If there *are* other cars out there factory-equipped with a HUD, please let me know. I'm looking for one. (Obviously, it's not the only criteria I'm looking for in a car, but it'll have a big advantage to me.)

I'd love a reconfigurable HUD that shows the basics (tach, speedo, oil press/temp, coolant temp, etc.) and adds the navigation/stereo instructions, as well (turn left/right X.X mi/km ahead, on what street/road/hwy, stereo volume/station/CD Track/etc.) A fine-resolution matrix of vac-flouro dots should do the trick.

Anybody know of a DIY solution? I'm just too lazy to do a real search for it right now...

I believe (and a real design person can correct me) that analog displays are more easily interpreted by people than digital displays. This is the same reasons guages in planes and sports cars are analog and not just numbers.

Even in cars with numbers there is usually a bar graph or some other picture representation of the amount.

Well, guess who I think is a gullible moron who has been screwed out of his money.

I've only driven a couple of American cars (a Buick Centry and an Oldsmobile Sierra Cutlass or something - scuse if I've got the names wrong) and they were both extremely heavy/slow (despite massive 3 liter V6 engines!)

The Century and Cutlass Ciera are hardly massive cars. Since they're both wrong-wheel drive, they can be a bit front-heavy...but that applies to nearly everything that's wrong-wheel drive.

3L is hardly massive...if anything, it's a bit undersized if you want decent power without having to run your engine at the ragged edge. When I bought a truck last year, the choice was between a dinky 2.2L 4-banger and a 4.3L V6. Mileage for the two is about the same (go here if you don't believe me), but the V6 delivers the same performance at low- to mid-throttle that the 4-banger only delivers at WOT. That translates into longer engine life, which is good if you figure on getting at least a couple of decades out of a vehicle. Being able to go up and down the hills between Las Vegas and Phoenix at a constant 80 mph (assuming that other traffic doesn't get in the way) is an added benefit.

If it replaces the Magster, well, I'd probably still have to do it owing to the fact that you are a) my friend and b) its a Honda for shitsakes;-)

Allow me to humbly encourage you towards one of these or one of these.

I could really use a big car like batman to get through all this snow around my house.

Chris

The only real advantage to it is that it is wide screen signal that uses all of the bandwidth available to display it. For a good example of this in action, consider this.

Couple of questions though, why use electrical as an interface for hydraulic control surfaces? This doesn't give you anything except computer aided stability. The F15 had this ( I believe ) , but it isn't considered a fbw.

There are several reasons for this. In no particular order:
1) You don't have to "fight" the airplane. Feedback is limited, if present at all. What you have in the cockpit fights you no more than the joystick on Pac-Man. This means that if you're in a spin, or another situation where the stick might be pegged in one direction in a conventional control plane, you don't have that problem in an "electric jet".
2) Simplicity. It's easier to have a small, closed hydraulic system to run an aleron, flap, or rudder with a couple wites running to and from it, than it is to run hydraulic lines to and from it. Wires are more flexable, can be more tempature tolerant, don't leak, don't explode, don't do a lot of things.
3) Weight. Wire is lighter than running full hydraulic lines all over the aircraft.
4) Power. While electric motors may be fine for small aircraft and model airplanes, they don't have the brute force of their hydrolic counterparts needed for moving large surface area control surfaces during supersonic flight.
5) You nailed it on the head when you added computer aided stability. I don't believe the F-15 has this, but I may be mistaken. I have read that planes like the F-117 are aerodynamicly due to the odd shape, and require many adjustments per second to maintain stable flight.
6) This sort of ties in with #5. In a "normal" plane, you move the stick left and a couple of things happen. The left aleron moves up and the right aleron moves down. This (assuming you're in normal flight, not on the ground, or in a spin) will make your aircraft roll to the left. Hit the Left rudder and the rudder turns left, yawing the aircraft to the left. Everything is mechanicly linked. An "electic jet" works slightly diffrently. You move the stick left, it sends a signal to the computer that says "I want to roll left" The computer will then figure out which control surfaces to move to roll the aircraft left based on your input. 99 times out of 100, this will move the alerons just like the conventional plane. But it has the added advantage of knowing if perhaps a little rudder might help, or if one aleron should move farther than the other, or if it shouldn't turn as fast as you'd like because that'll put you into a spin. Sorry if I was confusing before, I just now realized that in my last post, I neglected to mention the computer in the loop. A very important part that I left out.

Also, why would fbw require more maintenance then hydrolic?

It's not more maintenance than hydraulic. I think I was unclear in my previous post. The problem is that when hydraulic fails in a car, you still have mechanical. When "wire" fails in *this* car, you have nothing. The concequences of system failure are worse. As for in aircraft, they get away with it because they build in a lot of redundancy, on top of the fact, that every airplane in the sky is maintained better than 99.999% of the cars on the road. They have to be by the FAA's Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). Nobody I know replaces their alternator every 40,000 miles weather it needs it or not. That's the kind of rules you often find in the aviation world. Engines have to be overhauled every so many hours, regardless of if they're running perfectly or not, structual components are inspected regularly, and if needed replaced, etc. You just don't find that kind of maintenance diligence in the automotive world.

I'm not saying that drive by wire is bad. In fact, my favorite car is already drive by wire. But there needs to be redundancy (preferably of a diffrent type from the primary system, which in this case is electrical) for things like steering and braking. It's not drive by wire that I have issues with it's just the lack of redundancies in the prototype. I'm sure a final version will have redundancies, but I just wanted to point out the diffrences between this and a final product should be.

I dunno. I don't think the price of a brand new Chevy Camaro Z-28, or a Ford Mustang Cobra (1977 prices) is trivial. I know I certainly wouldn't pay $24,000 - $38,000 on a new computer today, even if I had that kind of cash lying around to spend.

His cars probably get better mileage then most SUVs on the road, and the check engine light does not come on every 2 weeks needing another trip to the dealer (coworkers volvo wagon).

They're old enough that they don't even have a "Check Engine" light. My '77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham is the same way. As for mileage, I'm fairly sure my dad's '01 Tahoe gets better mileage (20something hwy. vs. 16-17 for my Olds with similar-sized V8s in both...Vortec 5300 vs. Rocket 350). OTOH, it could use a bit of work to get things running better, and the '70s models were about the worst for mileage...the changes mandated by "clean air" laws threw mileage into the sh*tter for a few years. Earlier vehicles delivered more power and better mileage, but someone concluded that the nitrogen oxides thrown out the tailpipe of a lean-running, high-compression engine were a Bad Thing.

It also explains why im moving to europe in a month from detroit!

"So now, cheap slow cars are all any domestic companies can make"
are you a troll, or just ignorant?
Viper
or

my favorite

That just the 2 big ones off the top of my head.

What does Telebit think of this name?

There's no trademark infringement if the products or services involved are in unrelated fields. That's how you can end up with a modem, a truck, and a spacecraft that have the same name.

Put two or three Tahoes up there. When the asteroid runs into them, the airbags will inflate.

We've got a few in the US we can spare, I'm sure.

Oh, and needless to say, we can take the stereos and leather seats out first.

Soccer moms of America and yuppie cockeaters need to belly up to the table and cut out the fucking consumption competition..

Actually, on quite a few vehicles we do.. The throttle is an electronic actuator, and the brakes are manged by an electronic ABS system, which can both apply the brakes harder or force the user input off, usually in pulsed braking or to counteract a slide.

Some cars use electronic controls to manage how each wheel behaves. Click Here for Chevrolet's Active Handling.

Lexus, a few years back, even had electronic steering. It wasn't the front wheel controls, but the rear wheels would pivot a varying number of degrees depending on the speed and angle of the turn. It was to improve steering. It wasn't a mechanical linkage from the front.

There have been electronic automatic transmissions for years also.

Actually, the only parts that you can be fairly sure are mechical are the steering column and your seat belt.

Well, correction. How many cars were produced with the "Automatic" seat belts, that would detect the door was closed, and slide themselves up to retain the passenger? :)

this is a camaro.

this one, you jerkoff.

XM Digital Radio? Does it really matter if it is digital? My freakin' Chevrolet Cavalier is so damn loud even my CDs sound like crap. Why would I ever shell out $300 buck plus a subscription for one of these!

Brits/Europeans drive cars like the Smart and Polo, which are quick, economical and aethetically pleasing. Neither of which will sell in America. Yanks drive LandYachts like Excursion and Suburban, which are slow, inefficient eyesores. With far too much chrome. Sound familiar?

There are no diesel SUV's in USA?

I've seen diesel Suburbans before; I think they were built up to sometime in the 80s or (maybe) early 90s. The three engines that are currently available are all gas-fueled, though.

The Hummer is available with a 6.5L turbodiesel, but you'll pay through the nose for one (and if you never take it off-road, you shouldn't be allowed to own one :-) ).

Leavenworth, KS actually has four prisons. They include both a military prison and a Federal maximum security penitentiary. Be bad enough, and you too can visit there for a very long time. (Military service is optional.)

2)This is not a criminal trial.

True enough. I'm not contesting that. However, there are nasty Federal criminal penalties for violating copyright. Get someone interested in prosecuting you for that, and jail time is definitely possible. Big fines, too!

<RANT>
Hosting this tool (DeCSS) shouldn't be criminal, but it sure looks as if it's headed down the road to illegality. My opinion is that the judge was caught up in the politics of 2600, and ignored the fact that it isn't breaking and entering on your own property. You purchased a physical copy of something, not a license for it, and you can use it however you want -- yes, within the limits of copyright law. That includes fair use! If I want to make a videotape to watch in my Warner Bros. Special Edition Chevy Venture, where's the switch to turn off Macrovision? It's legal, it's fair use, but I am technologically prevented from doing it. Who do I sue?
</RANT>

3)Norway would piss their pants.

Norway doesn't have to extradite Jon. If he didn't commit a crime against their laws, they don't have to do a damn thing. Now... if he decided to visit the "good 'ole USA" again, all bets are off. He could be arrested by the MPPAA (Motion Picture Police Association... oh, never mind.) From what I understand, he has rather good standing in Norway, both legally and politically (from what he was put through back when this first hit the fan.) I hope Norway continues to keep it's clear head about reverse engineering.

Not to leave anything out...
4)Got any tacos?

Nope.

That is all. Thanks to Google for help in the fact finding!

Then again, they might link crap to something really interesting, right?

Uwe Wolfgang Radu

I bet, Japan will be the place you see more fuel cell / bybrid first, then Europe, then North America. Not to be soon.

And America will be a very distant third. Nobody in the US wants to drive fuel-efficient cars, they want to drive hideously oversized SUV's. Until those things can run on electricy, roar a loud, obnoxious engine, and take up more space than two normal vehicles, nobody will give up their SUV's.